Nine days after their 45-17 loss against Duke, the Elon University football team made an immediate impact in its first home game of the season with a convincing 55-7 win over Davidson College. Even with multiple delays before the game due to inclement weather, Elon came out firing on all cylinders in what was the largest win of head coach Tony Trisciani’s tenure.
Trisciani said his players did a fantastic job of approaching everything one play at a time. He was thrilled to see the team excel in every phase.
“It was really just to be in the moment and win the moment,” Trisciani said. “These guys just went out and played one snap at a time. Eventually, when you stack those reps and you continue to win those moments, it’s how the points happen.”
As far as remaining ready during a two hour delay, redshirt senior defensive lineman Jake Louro said the team’s mindset was just to stay loose and prepared for the game.
“The whole mindset was really to keep our eyes on the prize,” Louro said. “No matter what, we still have the mentality that we have a game to play, and a job to do.”
On the first possession, the Phoenix marched down the field in eight plays before redshirt freshman quarterback Landen Clark dove to the pylon for a 1-yard touchdown. It was Clark’s first possession since leaving midway through the fourth quarter against Duke due to an injury.
The defense did not miss a beat in the first quarter. Elon forced three consecutive three-and-outs to start the game. They held Davidson to only 13 total yards and didn’t allow a single first down until the last play of the quarter.
The second quarter was where Elon really began to break away. A mishandled snap by Davidson punter Chace Benoist led to a short punt, setting the Phoenix up past midfield. Clark proceeded to capitalize on the short field position with a 22-yard score to redshirt junior Landyn Backey, who managed to keep both feet in the corner of the end zone.
It was one of many big pass plays between Clark and Backey. Although they only connected five times during the game, Backey finished with 118 yards and two scores. In the second score Backey ran for 44 yards — double his previous score. Backey said he and Clark have slowly been building a strong rapport and this game was big for their on-field connection.
“We’re getting better this week with more and more chemistry,” Backey said. “That just helps us overall.”
When Elon did run the ball, they generated lots of productive carries, accounting for over 100 yards in the first half. Sophomore running back TJ Thomas Jr. added to the scoring with a 15-yard rumble into the end zone that saw him break multiple tackles. It was Thomas’ first touchdown since a season-ending shoulder injury last season, and it stretched the Phoenix lead to 27-0.
But even with the game in Elon’s control, they still weren’t done adding to the scoreboard. Redshirt sophomore defensive back Tony Hart III forced a fumble on sophomore quarterback Coulter Cleland that was recovered by redshirt junior defensive back DJ James-Hamilton. Clark would finish off the first half with a 20-yard throw to sophomore wide receiver Isaiah Fuhrmann.
The Phoenix expanded the lead to 41-0 going into halftime.
On defense, they limited Davidson to only 42 yards of offense. Redshirt sophomore transfer Brodie Caroll continued his strong start as linebacker with his second sack of the season along with 2.5 tackles for loss. Louro said there weren’t many adjustments made on defense. He believed it was just a matter of everyone doing their responsibilities.
“It’s just keep doing what we’re coached to do,” Louro said. “Keep playing sound technique football.”
As for the energy heading into the locker room, Trisciani said he didn’t have to do much. He trusted his players and their ability to keep building on the momentum heading into the second half.
“We were really running hot at the end of that second quarter,” Trisciani said. “Coming into the locker room, I didn’t have to tell them much. They knew we had to come out and play in the second half. It was all about business.”
Elon rested the majority of their starters throughout the second half, but still managed to score two more touchdowns en route to a 55-7 win.
With the win, Elon improves to 1-1 on the year. The Phoenix will head to Cullowhee, North Carolina next week to play their next game against Western Carolina University at 2:30 p.m. next Saturday, Sep. 13.